This morning, some of the cast members — Adrienne Maloof, Kyle Richardsand Lisa Vanderpumpalongside executive producer Douglas Ross -- visited the Today Show to promote the new season. It was a pretty sobering interview as of course, the topic of Russell was brought up.

When asked how Taylor Armstrongand her 5-year-old daughter Kennedy were coping in light of the tragedy, Adrienne stated she had spoken with Taylor at the wake, adding that “as is to be expected, she was very beside herself, obviously going through such a tragic … and I think her concern is her little girl now.”

The executive producer Douglas then confirmed the reports that Bravo had edited the new season following Russell’s death. “We, along with the network, took a hard look at the show and we decided to do some adjustments where appropriate in light of the circumstances. Our goal has always been to make an honest and accurate story about the ladies and what goes on in their life. We want to be and always are respectful and responsible, and in this case, trying to be very appropriate.”

Russell will not be featured in the first couple of episodes and likely the entire season though scenes with Taylor discussing her marital issues will remain intact. “It is important to know that Taylor’s story is told throughout the season,” he added.

Kyle also defended the show, echoing Bethenny Frankel’s earlier comments which is that Russell and other reality stars sign up to do the shows. “He also signed up for this season one, and came back for season two,” said Kyle. “When we started this show they cast six strong women and they didn’t really know anything about our stories. … We certainly didn’t know the troubles that he had.”

It’s likely that in light of the editing/Bravo working hard to remove scenes with Russell, newbies Brandi Glanville and Dana Wilkey, will probably end up having more of a presence on the show.

And finally, Taylor Armstrong stepped out for the first time without a disguise just days ago. Taylor, 40, was photographed running errands in Beverly Hills on Aug. 31. She was pictured without her wedding ring on. Those photos are below.

Below is a preview clip from tonight’s premiere!

TELL US – STILL EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW SEASON? THOUGHTS ON THE TODAY SHOW INTERVIEW & TONIGHT’S PREMIERE?

This season has chronicled the housewives’ financial struggles whether small or major. Gretchen Rossi had a garage sale, Jeana Keough went shopping with her daughter at H&M, Tamra Barney is now doing her own housework, and coming up soon will be the eviction of Lynne Curtin. Off camera, Slade Smiley’s financial difficulty is also common knowledge since the publication of a report showing he owes over $80,000 in back child support.

All of the above is a drastic turn from what we’re used to seeing from the OC Housewives. Long gone are the days of buying yatches, diamond rolexes and harleys. A new article from the Huffington Post details the financial woes of the housewives. “All of them have been very much affected by the economic situation,” explains the show’s executive producer, Douglas Ross.

Ross discusses the upcoming episode that will show Lynne’s family being evicted. “We try to treat it as gently but as honestly as we can,” Ross says. “We happened to have been there with our cameras … as part of our normal schedule when they were served the eviction notice. It’s one of those great reality TV moments that happened to be caught because we were in the right place at the right time.”

And though money can be a sensitive issue, the OC housewives don’t seem to mind sharing their struggles with millions of viewers. “It helps people across the nation because they realize it’s not just them,” says Jeana. “I’m pretty open. … There’s not too much I’ll hide. It was difficult for my husband … but the world’s in this place right now and I think people are going to relate to it,” adds Tamra.

Though the housewives get paid to appear on the show, Jeana says the amount (rumored to be $100,000 per housewife) is not enough to support a family. “It’s so minimal. It’s not enough to make your house payments. It’s more like a location fee to keep your house clean.”

Vicky Gunvalsonis however one of the luckier housewives as her insurance business is booming more than ever. “When I first started (on the show), I was working out of the house with two employees and now I have a huge office with 10 employees, 700 agents out in the field,” says Vicki, who plans to retire comfortably at age 55. Interestingly, the HuffingtonPost article quotes Vicki as saying she is 42 years old, which is false as she is 47.

Despite her very public eviction, Lynne says things are looking up for she and her family as she predicts they will be able to build a house next year. “My husband is a builder in Southern California. It’s not like he doesn’t try. He’s not sitting at home watching TV. He is going out and making an effort. … I’ve been married for 20 years. … We’ve had the high life we’ve had the low life. It’s just reality.”